TENSE footage shows the moment a Boeing 777 carrying 300 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing on a remote snow-covered runway in Canada after an engine failure.

Swiss International flight 40 experienced a "technical irregularity" at approximately 36,000 feet during a California-bound trip from Zurich on Wednesday and touched down at Iqaluit Airport's sole landing strip at 3 p.m.

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The Swiss International plane approaches the remote runwayCredit: Tattuinee

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Just one of the two engine was functioning properly during the landingCredit: Tattuinee

Video shows plumes of snow fill the air as the commercial jet makes the emergency decent onto the runway, which usually accommodates much smaller aircraft.

The town mayor rushed to offer stranded passengers a tour of the city, where temperatures hovered around minus six degrees Fahrenheit, but they chose to remain on the plane until a replacement arrived from New York - 14 hours later.

Mayor Madeleine Redfern was eager for the passengers to soak in the city of just 6,000 people, suggesting a visit to the local museum and aquatic centre.

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